As a social media marketer, staying abreast of current trends is vital. Doing so allows you to use these platforms effectively in reaching out to your target audience and meeting marketing goals.
TikTok has become an invaluable platform for brands targeting Gen Z audiences with short-form videos.
Emerging Platforms
2023 will see several emerging platforms become prominent within social media, offering users new ways to connect, express themselves, and make sense of the world around them.
As such, 2023 social media trends will demonstrate an increased focus on activism and community-oriented content – especially with regard to women in STEM (#WomenInSTEM). Users will remain avid social media users to stay up-to-date with current events as live video streaming becomes more and more popular and authentic experiences become desired by users – which will also influence trends within 2023 social media trends.
Twitter is a renowned social media platform that provides users with access to trending topics and news/updates of interest to them and their followers. By the fourth quarter of 2021, this platform had 259 million monetizable daily active users despite still facing some challenges like recent advertiser departures; Twitter responded to these concerns by creating features that prioritize user experience and engagement.
TikTok is another highly engaging social media platform, provides users with an innovative and interactive way to connect. This app is ideal for reaching younger audiences – particularly Gen Z and millennials – while providing advertising opportunities and business profile tools that enable companies to promote themselves on this platform.
Threads is an emerging platform to watch. This social network allows users to follow their favorite creators and engage with fans. Threads aims to provide its users with a safe space; its team of moderators helps prevent harassment while allowing users to choose where their ad revenue goes for supporting charities they care about. Threads have the potential to alter the social media landscape by offering safer alternatives than existing platforms.
Content Formats
Content brands post on social media is constantly changing as audiences demand more personalized, engaging, and impactful posts from brands. Businesses must adapt quickly to this ever-evolving environment in order to stand out from their competition – it may prove challenging, but having a well-rounded strategy in place can give a competitive advantage over time.
One of the key social media trends affecting marketers in 2023 will be the rise of content formats that can be utilized across platforms. This trend includes images, videos, polls, and quizzes which help businesses connect more closely with their audiences through more engaging conversations. By testing different formats marketers can discover which resonate best with their target audiences to drive engagement.
Memes are set to gain increasing relevance. Memes provide brands with an engaging way of engaging with their audiences on a more casual level and can be particularly effective for targeting younger demographics. If a meme takes off, it could become an instant cultural phenomenon and go viral within days; therefore it is vital that brands stay abreast of current memes so as to utilize them effectively in their campaigns.
TikTok, for instance, boasts over one billion active users and offers businesses the perfect way to reach millennials and Gen Z consumers alike. Furthermore, using ads and business profile tools allows businesses to further extend their reach on this social platform.
Live streams have quickly become one of the fastest-growing forms of video content. They allow brands to give viewers a sneak peek behind the scenes or host Q&A sessions with their followers; additionally, they are used for sharing time-sensitive updates such as sales or promotions.
2023 will see more companies tapping their employees as content creators. Given expensive paid ad costs and decreasing organic reach, employee advocacy programs may provide businesses with a powerful way of expanding their social media presence. By giving employees the training and support needed to produce authentic, compelling posts that resonate with users, brands can reap the rewards of an impactful advocacy program.
Interactive Features
Social media platforms are continuously developing new features to stay competitive and draw in users, making these trends worth keeping an eye on in order to optimize your strategy for maximum success.
One of the biggest trends we expect to witness in 2023 is the rise of scroll-triggered animations on websites. These animations add visual flair and engage users as they scroll down a page; providing information while also creating compelling narratives that make users want to discover more content from you.
Another trend we are witnessing is the surge in social audio popularity. Apps such as Wavve allow podcast or music creators to select an excerpt of their audio and have it professionally designed into video for social media sharing. Furthermore, many major social media platforms now provide tools for audio creation within their platforms; examples include Facebook Soundbites & Rooms; Twitter voice tweets; and LinkedIn Live Audio Events.
Short-form video will continue its dominance in 2023. TikTok led this trend, and all major platforms have tried to emulate its success by offering their own versions of short videos. We expect more brands to take advantage of this trend by using viral challenges, intriguing auto-play audio tracks, or trendy topics as tools to engage their target audiences more efficiently.
Instagram Stories will likely remain increasingly popular as retailers take advantage of this platform to promote products through its Stories feature, with shopping bags that can be clicked to purchase items directly through Instagram Stories. This has proven itself an effective promotional strategy, making Instagram stories an indispensable asset to retailers in 2023 and beyond.
Social media users have also shown an increasing appetite for video live streaming. This trend was propelled forward by the pandemic and is predicted to expand further as people turn to these platforms for news and updates in their communities. YouTube recently added live event broadcasting while Facebook implemented Live Streams capabilities.
Evolving User Behaviors
Social media platforms continue to advance and offer new features, making it increasingly important for brands to keep abreast of trends that could affect their content creation process. From an emphasis on authenticity to the rise of ephemeral posts, these changes should drive engagement and ultimately revenue for businesses.
Users have become more demanding of brands on social media. Consumers expect brands to be open and give personalized touches; 81% have purchased something after seeing it recommended by someone they trusted on social media; additionally, seven out of ten people place more trust in an influencer recommendation than traditional advertisements from brands.
This trend toward authenticity can be observed across platforms: Instagram introduced Stories, YouTube and Facebook launched Shorts and Reels videos respectively, while TikTok remains popular with its short-form video offerings. Furthermore, social media platforms are providing more opportunities to purchase items directly through their platforms due to an increasing e-commerce trend.
Due to these developments, marketers are having to reevaluate how they approach social media strategy. Now more than ever it’s essential to know what features exist on each platform and how best to utilize them to expand business.
Authenticity remains one of the key trends on social media in 2023 and an effective way to cultivate customer loyalty. According to one survey, 39% of respondents identified authenticity as one of their top criteria when learning about brands or products. Furthermore, nearly 90% of social media users believe companies can regain their trust following a crisis by being honest and transparent about the steps being taken by companies to resolve it.
As a result, more brands are emphasizing transparency, credibility, and relatability on social media platforms like Twitter. Furthermore, more authentic micro-influencers are being hired and marketing campaigns are engaged to broaden reach. Meanwhile, Zappos makes customer service one of its core values and responds within 20 minutes when customers tweet at them on Twitter; keeping up with trends for customer care services such as Zappos can make businesses more competitive in 2019. It’s more essential than ever that businesses prioritize their social media strategies in order to remain competitive this coming year.
